2023-09-12 15:07:17
Published on September 12, 2023 at 5:07 p.m. Modified on September 12, 2023 at 7:11 p.m.
The announcement did not cause much fanfare, but reflects the almost insurmountable obstacles to the hoped-for reconstruction of a European solar industry. The producer of silicon wafers and ingots Norwegian Crystals filed for bankruptcy at the end of August. The company had long been seeking long-term capital to finance the planned expansion of its production capacity. Norsun, another Norwegian solar company, has also just announced the suspension of its production until the end of the year.
“The bankruptcy of Norwegian Crystals is not good news for the sector,” reacts Christophe Ballif, director of the Sustainable Energy Center at the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), in Neuchâtel. The company was notably involved in the European Pilatus project intended to develop a new generation of higher-efficiency solar cells, in which CSEM and EPFL also participate. “Norwegian Crystals was active in a part of the production chain where it is difficult to be competitive with Chinese companies. The company probably did not yet have sufficient volume to have an acceptable price for the market,” analyzes Christophe Ballif.
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